“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain

a.What we may view as Major changes/recommendations are viewed as minor; virtually everyone will get major feed
back. Be prepared for it, and submit
ASAP to COMREC.

b.Use the human resources who are familiar with the
process; take time to sit
down, discuss, ask questions, and go over the proposal.

4)Research your interests. It makes it more manageable and exciting.

5)Work will progress from feeling like nothing is
happening, to everything happening at once.

6)The more specific the document, the better. Language use is slightly different between
Malawi and Canada.

General

1)Malawians are a (in general) reserved culture, as
compared to other African nations that I have gone to. Despite being outgoing and exceptionally friendly, they are also quite
introverted.

2)Being more specific in communication, the
better. Don’t ask “when,” because they
probably won’t know (or will give you a “soon.”). Ask “will this happen in 15 minutes, 1 hour,
or 3 days?”

3)Email contact is fine. Keep it
brief, and specific. Phone is better. Make sure you greet the person, before going
into a request. Personal contact is best.
Don’t worry about just going and knocking on a door, even with no meeting… it’s
not considered rude; however, do be
prepared for people not to be there when you expect them to be there, or,
expect that they may tell you to come back at a later time, if not
convenient. Do ask if it is a convenient time.

4)In general, the water is fine to drink from the
tap. Do take a prophylaxis for parasites
(praziquantil) if you have swam in the lake, before you go home. Buy it in Malawi for very cheap.

5)Meet as many Malawians from different scenarios as
possible. Be willing to explore, and
have conversations with strangers.
Normally, there is no risk.
Sometimes, you will meet people who you are uncomfortable with, but, let
down your cultural safe-guard.

6)Ex-pats are an interesting community~ some are super
great quality, and worth being involved with.
Others are quite exclusive and “cliquey.” But, ex-pats play a large part
in overseas cultures… they will teach you interesting lessons, and allow you to
have quality inner dialogue.

7)Speak slowly, and clearly. Take time to listen. Take time to joke. Take time to share your own culture, and your
own photos from home. Talk about your
family. Relax. Remember that stressing doesn’t solve much in
Malawi.

8)The more involved in different activities that you
are, the better your time will be. It is
the days that you do nothing, where you start feeling lonely, sad, and
downcast. Even if it just means getting
out on those days to go buy fruit~ it
will make you feel better, and will probably give you something to talk about
when you get home.

9)Remember to keep your eyes open. Every day, there will be something that makes
you laugh, or something that you can reflect upon, or something that becomes “normal”
even though you would never see it in Canada.

10)The landscape of Malawi is more than worth
exploring. Get out. Do not stay in the cities. Get into the country side, and prepare to
have your mind blown by the beauty.

11)It’s ok to spend “a little money” on things which are
enjoyable. Just remember that your life should
change when you are abroad, and that the luxuries that you have at home, should
not be the luxuries that you have abroad, when the people around you have very
little.

12)It’s ok not to give money to everyone who asks. Figure out what you want to support, and
stick to that. Be firm when saying
no. But, do try to work with someone to
find alternatives. Teach life skills
(i.e. business plans, or money management) instead. Hire people to do little tasks for you (like
washing your laundry, or guiding you on a hike).